Bringing Legal Aid to Veterans - Part 2

In yesterday’s post we wrote about the work Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow Lauren Peach is doing to bring legal aide to at-risk veterans in Northwest Washington State. Recently, Lauren ran a mobile legal clinic (with the help of other Equal Justice Works Fellows, law students, and local attorneys), bringing legal services to veterans around the region. Lauren and Leo, a law school volunteer and veteran, brought the mobile clinics to four different sites over the course of a week.

Prior to starting out, all of the participants received training specific to the legal needs of veterans, including a manual that Lauren and Leo had put together with guidance for serving veterans and providing them with legal assistance in the state of Washington. There was a wide array of different skill sets; many of the lawyers were specialized for veteran’s work, but the group included one Fellow whose primary area of expertise is housing and one with practice doing pro bono coordination.

Out at the clinics, the group would do basic intake for veterans who had signed up for an appointment, as well as a few drop-ins. Issues that arose ranged from driver’s license suspensions and minor criminal charges to accessing VA benefits and establishing a will. At the end of each day, Lauren went through all the intake forms to see if the veteran would receive a referral for an attorney or whether her host organization, Northwest Justice Project would take the client on, or if there was no action needed.

This exercise illustrates a different model of bringing legal services to veterans; one which we hope is replicated in other parts of the country. Equal Justice Works has a goal of expanding the number of Fellows across the country who are working with veterans. Stay tuned for more stories of their work.